Surveying
The MLA survey department provide a wide range of services throughout Alaska, working in over 150 communities. The staff at MLA provides the highest quality products and services.
Our staff includes Registered Professional Land Surveyors, Certified Federal Surveyors (CFEDS), CAD Technicians, GIS Specialist, Right-of-Way Agents, and Survey Technicians. We augment our staff during the field season with additional Professional Land Surveyors and Survey Technicians as needed with an emphasis on local hire.
MLA’s survey equipment includes State-of-the Art Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) utilizing GPS and GLONASS data. Much of Alaska is now covered by the TOPNET Network which simplifies and speeds up surveying using GNSS. Conventional optical electronic total stations, levels, and lasers are used when conditions justify them. The office is served by a state-of-the-art computer network and includes multiple workstations, large format scanner/plotters, and supporting equipment.
Land surveying is completed under the supervision of one of MLA’s Alaska Registered Professional Land Surveyors.
- INDIVIDUAL LOT SURVEYS – Land owners need to know their boundaries and whether or not their improvements are entirely on their own land. Or if improvements owned by adjacent land owners encroach. Most land sales require AS-BUILT SURVEYS where MLA certifies whether or not there are any encroachments. AS-BUILTS are often required by Lending Institutions and Title Agencies. Determining the exact boundary of your lot is very important prior to building improvements – it is much more cost effective to be sure you are entirely on your own lot ahead of time rather than having to move the improvement later. Accordingly, MLA provides certified BOUNDARY SURVEYS and PLOT PLANS for the land owners. Some areas also require an ELEVATION CERTIFICATE , which MLA can provide, in order to obtain FLOOD INSURANCE.
- SUBDIVISIONS – Often a landowner wants to create several lots from one original parent parcel. These lots may be needed for new private homes or for use by a Regional Housing Authority for community housing. State law requires that new lots be created through a SUBDIVISION PLAT and survey by an Alaska Registered Professional Land Surveyor. MLA works closely with the client and the platting authority to ensure the subdivision plat meets the needs of the client and the requirements of the platting authority. Platting Authorities such as the Municipality of Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough have complicated requirements whereas some more rural areas are less restrictive. However, much of Alaska is outside an organized Borough or Platting Authority and must instead be approved by the State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources. And many Restricted Alaska Native lands must also be processed through the US Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs. MLA has the experience to be able to complete a subdivision through these various jurisdictions.
- TOPOGRAPHIC and ENGINEERING DESIGN SURVEYS – MLA is often needed to provide on-site data for planning and design of improvements. Usually we provide SITE PLANS with elevations, contours, boundaries, and features. Specialized PLAN and PROFILE SHEETS, for highways, roads, airports, and utilities are also products MLA can provide. Sometimes the data for these products may be best generated through aerial mapping or through the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles /DRONES.
- CONTROL FOR AERIAL MAPPING & UAVs (DRONES) – In order to provide accurate mapping from Aerial Photography, LiDAR, and Drones, there must be ground control including visible panels or photo ID points. MLA surveyors provide this control. MLA also has several drones and licensed Drone pilots to acquire aerial imaging and often works with other firms to assist them to acquire data as well.
- COMMUNITY MAPPING – MLA has provided Community Maps for scores of Alaska Communities. Some were provided under State contracts and some for individual Cities or Boroughs. Many of the older maps need updating. Products are provided in either AutoCAD or ArcGIS formats depending on the needs of the client. One of the products being requested most often recently is STREET ADDRESSING. This allows the community to comply with the Federal E911 requirements which is also becoming a pre-condition for certain types of funding.
- TELECOMMUNICATION and UTILTY SURVEYS – MLA has surveyed hundreds of telecommunications and utility sites throughout Alaska. We routinely provide certified 1A Letters, As-Builts, Site Plans, and similar documentation under FCC and FAA specifications and requirements. We have located and surveyed hundreds of telecommunications towers as well as hundreds of miles of buried Fiber Optics Lines. Property lines, easements, and rights of way are located as needed.
- CADASTRAL SURVEYING – MLA is one of the most experienced Cadastral Survey firms in Alaska. MLA performs original surveys for the United States Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to set Township, Section and subdivisional corners under contract. MLA has a Certified Federal Surveyor who specializes in this. We have set thousands of monuments for lands conveyed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) for Native Corporation boundaries as well as for ANCSA 14(c) reconveyance parcels. Rectangular and US Survey plats are our final deliverables to BLM. The US Bureau of Indian Affairs also retains MLA to resurvey restricted Native lots and determine any encroachments. MLA provides MUNICIPAL ENTITLEMENT SURVEYS for Cities and Boroughs so that they can receive patents for land around their communities from the State of Alaska. These generally require MLA to perform Alaska State Cadastral Surveys (ASCS) or Alaska State Land Surveys (ASLS). Another type of State survey which MLA performs are the Alaska Tidelands Surveys (ATS).
MLA is Certified as an Alaskan DBE in Construction Surveying by the Alaska Dept. of Transportation & Public Facilities under FHWA guidelines.
- MLA surveyors lay out improvements for construction. Stakes are set at the actual corners or as offsets as needed. Improvements include buildings, roads, sewer, water, electric, telecommunications, drainage, building pads, and cuts/fill areas.
- MLA puts an emphasis on setting up and supporting 3D GPS Machine Control for Heavy Equipment to allow for increased efficiency.
- Construction Surveying often requires As-builts after the structures have been completed.
